


What Good Can Be Found In A World Gone To Hell?

by April_Valentine



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pre-Slash, Rickyl Writers' Group, Rickyl Writers' Group Mid-Season 06 Premiere Mini-Challenge, prison era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-19 14:02:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5969701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/April_Valentine/pseuds/April_Valentine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lori died giving birth to Judith and Rick spent hours cutting down the walkers responsible. He was shattered, seeing and hearing things that weren't real, wallowing in his grief, questioning his ability as a leader, hating the mistakes he had made. Knowing that nothing would ever be all right again.</p><p>And then he finds something good in the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Good Can Be Found In A World Gone To Hell?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Rickyl Writers Group's Mid-Season 6 Premier Mini-Challenge. Does't start out like fluff, but it gets there.

Rick emerged, showered and wearing cleaner clothes. He couldn’t hide anymore, no matter how broken he was, no matter how welcome his hallucinations had been. People were sitting around the tables in the mess hall. Everyone was there, Rick realized suddenly, except Daryl.

He walked out, his stride becoming more determined, faster. Fear twisted in his gut. He couldn’t lose one more person. Couldn’t lose Daryl, his only anchor now. Had he gone on a run, hunting outside the wall? Where was he? 

Rick stormed into his own cell, determined to grab his extra ammo, go outside to find him. 

He stopped short. 

Daryl was there, in Rick’s cell. Safe. Unharmed. 

He was lying on Rick’s bunk, his eyes closed. He had the baby in his arms.

Rick felt tears prickle behind his eyelids. 

He moved to the bunk, dropping to his knees beside them. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing – although he’d known that Daryl had been the first to feed the baby, Rick had been so lost in grief that looking at her sweet, tiny face reminded him of all his mistakes.

Now, as she lay safe and sleeping in Daryl’s arms, everything seemed different, better, more real. The contrast between the man whose brutal strength belied his kind heart and the tiny baby on his chest brought out raw emotions in Rick.

This was his child. His small miracle in a world full of death. He could not love her more. Nothing he did from his moment on would have any meaning without her.

As he watched, she began to fidget, waking and fussing. Daryl’s eyes blinked open. 

“She’s okay, just hungry,” Rick said, unable to do more than whisper. 

“You okay?” Daryl’s eyes moved worriedly from the baby to him..

Rick’s heart swelled with love. Not just for the baby. For this man who was by his side, caring for his baby and people when he couldn’t. 

“I will be.” He reached out, his hand cupping the soft fuzz on the baby’s head. 

Daryl’s eyes were on his hand, watching the caress. Rick met his gaze, silently asking permission. Receiving the answer he’d hoped for, he shifted his hand, letting it rest lightly on Daryl’s powerful bicep, then trailing with utmost gentleness up over his shoulder and finally sliding into his hair, stroking him as he had done the infant. Daryl seemed drawn to the touch, his eyes going soft.

He knelt up, leaning over them both, wrapping them in his arms, resting his head on Daryl’s chest.

Daryl seemed unperturbed by the closeness; his other arm going around Rick’s back, pulling him in even closer.

“Knees ‘r gonna get sore like that. You wanta nap, come on up.”

Rick didn’t question the invitation. When he settled, he was draped across Daryl’s chest, his arms encircling both him and the baby. And Daryl was holding him too. 

Rick looked up at him. There were no words. Instead, he pressed his lips to Daryl’s.

They slept.


End file.
